We're taking our streets back <a href="http://inhabitat.com/parking-day-2010-takes-place-this-friday-around-the-world/">one parking space</a> at a time and turning them into awesome public spaces. For this year's Parking Day, a group in Vancouver rallied together and transformed two parking spaces into an awesome <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/modular">modular</a> public deck. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parallel-Park/116910235077103?sk=wall" target="_blank">Parallel Park</a> was just installed at the beginning of September and is located at <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=14th+Avenue+and+Main+Street,+Vancouver,+BC&amp;hl=en&amp;ll=49.258279,-123.100852&amp;spn=0.00187,0.004812&amp;sll=49.252373,-123.11041&amp;sspn=0.059834,0.15398&amp;vpsrc=6&amp;t=h&amp;z=18" target="_blank">14th Avenue and Main Street</a> next to two coffee shops. The new "on-street" public space is part of the <a href="http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/streets/vivavancouver/" target="_blank">VIVA Vancouver</a> program, which seeks to demonstrate new, interesting and fun uses for public space in Vancouver. Viva la Parallel Park!

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

The goal of VIVA Vancouver is to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/summer-streets-returns-to-nyc-banning-cars-from-7-miles-of-manhattan/">transform street spaces</a> where cars normally go into people places to give residents more room to walk, bike, dance, skate, sit, hang out with friends and neighbors.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

So far, the program has <a href="http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/streets/vivavancouver/spaces.htm" target="_blank">developed 8 projects</a> around the city, which includes pedestrian street only days, a theater, mobile digital projections and parking space park conversions.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

Parallel Park is the latest urban transformation project and was opened to the public on September 1.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

Parallel Park was designed by Travis Martin, who works for <a href="http://www.vdz.ca" target="_blank">van der Zalm + Associates</a>, a local landscape architecture firm, in cooperation with master builder Tyler Harris of <a href="http://www.happyvalleywoodwork.com/">Happy Valley Woodwork</a>.

Corporate sponsors, Dick's Lumber and ICI paints provided the materials for the project.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

Acting more like a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/aritist-molly-dillworth-creates-a-tranquil-oasis-in-times-square/">public lounge</a> than a park, the deck area sits at sidewalk level and expands the public space into the street so passersby can sit down and take a load off.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

Conveniently located next to both a JJ Bean Coffee Roasters and a Starbucks, the park also expands the coffee shops' customer areas and encourages people to enjoy their daily fix and maybe even make a new friend.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

Can't wait to see more cities work on exceptional <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/urban-public-space">urban public space</a> projects like this.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

The red barricade like perimeter will definitely draw attention from drivers and hopefully eliminate any dangers from traffic.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

The park during prefabrication off site.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

Initial project proposal drawings.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

Details of the modular park benches.

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Parallel Park in Vancouver

We're taking our streets back one parking space at a time and turning them into awesome public spaces. For this year's Parking Day, a group in Vancouver rallied together and transformed two parking spaces into an awesome modular public deck. Parallel Park was just installed at the beginning of September and is located at 14th Avenue and Main Street next to two coffee shops. The new "on-street" public space is part of the VIVA Vancouver program, which seeks to demonstrate new, interesting and fun uses for public space in Vancouver. Viva la Parallel Park!